Automatic steam trap



May 15, 1923*.

G. w. COLLIN AUTOMATIC STEAM TRAP Filed July 30. 1921 INVENTOR. Gav/ye W 601/672 BY 6;; 5 g y WMTTORNEYS.

' or corresponding parts throughout the sev-" Patented May 15, 1923 p p o r v um'ren enortenw; COLLIN, or snrnenron'r, CoNNncrrCur.

AUTOMATIC s'rEAM TRAP.

Application fiieaixui so,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that Gnoncn W.,COLLIN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Steam Traps, of which the following is -.a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful "improvements in steam-traps for installation 1 in steam pipe lines or systems to receive and automatically discharge the condensed steam therefrom.- "j v The invention more particularly relates to thermostatically operated steam-traps,

whereinthe thermostat'is arranged wholly within the valve casing and thus directly exposed to the action of the varying temperatures' of the waterof condensation and steam, and whereby" the varying temperatures will automatically open and close the valve to relieve the trap from the water of condensation accumulatedtherein. V

The objects of the invention are to provide a steam trap which ;w1ll include a thermostat and a slide valveconne'cted there- 'to to be automatically operated thereby; to

support the thermostat'upon a detachable part which is removably supported withln a casing and which can be conveniently removed therefrom for the purpose of cleaning or repairing; and to adjustably support the slide valve in position. to engage and slide upon said detachable part to control the port ofthe outlet of the steam-trap.

' With these and other objects in view the invention resides and consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangements of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated inthe accompanylng drawings, and pointed out inthe claims hereto appended, it beingunderstood that various changes inthe form, proportion, .slze

and minor details of c'onstruction within the scope of the claims may be resorted tofwithout departure from the spirit or sacrificing an of the advantages of theinvention.

gimilar characters of reference denote like eralfigures of the accompanying drawings forming "a part of 'thisspecification, and upon which, f

Fig. 1 is a central vertical sectional view through the improved steam-trap, shown connected to a steam pipe line, the slidevalve being shown in the position it occupies when temperature;

side the water discharge, pipe,

1921. Serial No. 488,544. 1

the" thermostatic U plate is at atmospheric Fig. '2 is a central vertical sectionalview of the removable closure plate, together: with view; of the; thermostat and slide valve mounted thereon;

Fig-1,3 1s av sectional .F 11 a e v tie a aiiiedg 'VIBWH respectivelyof that member'gof' the 3* of -1 1, o i g n, the d eotionof the arrows, and i,

thermostat adapted to carry the slide valve. I v o The 'steam trap is' connected to the steam i pipe at any point where the condensat on should be d1scharged-.; Thefchamber-in the body ,is ipr'ovided withla' detachable closure plate, the upper face ofgwhich-i is formed. nto aseat; for the slide. valvegland an upwardly extending integral] post .Bto'

Which the thermostatic, U-plateisattached. 1

In the drawing, l0 denotesa steam pipe in a system enterlng"thechamberllof the casing 12 at any convenient point. The

lower edge portion of this casing is thread- 13 serving, to engage and clamp theedge 14 of a closure member 15 imposition against, the lower annularend portion ofvthe,.,cas

ing. The closure'plate includes a hublG hav ng. a threaded v hole to receive a water v d h rge P P and a; -Pe t1 .a d

communication between thefchamberr ll and i V The thermostatic meansfor controlling the slide 'valve23 consistsfof a loop "19-0f;

thermostatic metal supported within the chamber 11 upon apost e'o extending from the removable closure member, .upon the free leg of which loop is adjustably secured,

l as denoted at 21,- a preferably thinner platew 22 of more sensitive thermostaticmetal'and which has its freefe'nd portions operatively "connected, through a pin 9, with said slide valve; slide valve operates upon the inclined; seat 24 of the removable closure member to cover and uncover port18. .21

denotes a 'scre wjintheffreei end of loop""19 and engaging the thermoplate, whereby the be adjusted with relationto the latter can" loop.

'As will'be apparent, the surfaceofthe closure plate slants pwardly, from that portion of the plate which carries post20, toward the portion in'which the port 18,i s

, I situated, and upon said surface thetwo guide members 25"-for"the slide-valve are ar- 80 ed to removably receivethefiange of the nut a,

plate 22 provides a more flexible connection between the valve.

As the water is discharging from the chamber 11 and steam contacts with the up thermostatic loop and the slide per end of the U-plate 19 it is expanded.

Before the water line has fallen much more than enough to expose one-half of the length of the U-plate the expansion and movement of the freeleg' of the U-plat'e is enough to 'move theconnected slide valve to close the port. i

This intermediate thermo element 22 attached to'the free leg of the U-plate and engaging the slide valve gives a flexible connectionwhi'ch'insures perfect closure of the port by the slide valve.

' The-thinner thermo element being more sensitive and quicker to respond to varying temperature, and the water in'the lower part of the 'chambercooling first and faster than at the higher levels, the'thinn er thermo element contracts, removing the downward pressure on the slide valve and the friction between the valve and its seat, so that when the water of condensation has accumulated, filling the chamber, the lowered temperature causes th contraction f the thermo elements, movingthe slide valve to uncover the port andpermitdischarge of water. The thermostatic elements are adjusted so that the operation will take place just as described. The thinner thermo plate is ad justa'bly attached to the free leg of the thermo" loopso that it can be set in two directions, that is, slipped up or down, and moved'out and in.

water is discharging from the charm ber' 11 and steam enters, the higher tempera, ture xpands the thermo-U-plate. The adjustment is such that the slide valve closes the pert when the water linein the chamber falls to about one-half full. As the water line falls. the temperature of the surface waterbel w the ste m increases and expands the connecting thermov element 22 and causes ittoj give a fin'al set7- over the port and p rcsses the slide valve onto its seat and over the port. I I i As the chamber fills, the water at rest "quickly cools, the cooling beginning at the bottom of; the chamber and first affecting the thermostatic plate 22' in the manner already described. The thermostatic means will discharge condensation water without passing any steam, there being at all times an ample water seal. This is an especially important feature when the steam trap is used in connection with vacuum systems. In such systems, when steam passes through the trap port, it is wasted, the vacuum is cut down, and the efficiency of the pump that returns the water to the boiler is impaired. The slide valve employed sweeps all foreign matters from the valve seat and port, and thus eliminates one of the common faults with the poppet types oft-rap valves, viz, the lodging between the valve and the port seat of foreign matters such as pipe scale and products of corrosion, 1

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire 'to secure by Letters Patent is, i

1. In a steam trap, a chamber, athermo loop, one end of which is secured within the chamber, said loop adapted to have an expansive movement in a givenldirecti'on, a thermo plate secured to the endor said thermo loop, being bodily movable in said given direction therewith and'also adapted to have independent expansive movement in a direction'at a substantial right angle to its bodily "movement, and a slide valve adapted to be operated by the combined.

movements of said thermo plate.

2. In a steam, trap, a chamber, a thermo loop secured within the chamber, a thermo plate of material thinner than that ofthe thermo loop, said thermo plate 'securedto th free leg of said thermo loop and having an effective movement transversely to the movment of the loop, and a slide. valve operated by said therm loop and thermo plate, a seat for said valve, said thermo loop when expanded tending to reciprocate said slide valve upon said seat and said thermo plate when expanded tending to press'said slide valve upon said seat. v

3 In a steam trap, a chamber, a thermo loop secured within the chamber and positioned to operate in ne plane and a given direction, a thermo plate secured to said thermo loop, being. bodily movable therewith and also adapted to have independent movement in a direction at a substantial right angle to its bodily movement, a slide valve, and a connection between said valve and thermo plate permitting free upward movement of said plate relatively to the valve. v

i. In a steam trap, a chamber, thermo loop, one end of which is secured within the chamber, a thermo plate secured to the which is free therein, a thermo plate of material thinner than that of the thermo loop, said thermo plate adjustably secured to the free leg of said thermo loop, a slide valve attached to said thermo plate, and a closure plate associated with said chamber, said closure plate having a port adapted to be controlled by said slide valve, said thermo loop adapted to, when expanded, move said slide valve outwardly and upwardly, and said thermo plate when expanded adapted to move said slide valve outwardly and downwardly.

6. A steam trap as recited in claim 5,.

wherein the inner surface of the closure, plate slants upwardly in the chamber in the direction from the support for the thermo loop toward the outlet port, and said inner surface is provided with guides for said slide valve, for the purpose described. 1 v

Signed at Bridgeport in the county of.

Fairfield and State of Connecticut this 29th day of July, A. D., 1921. Y

Witnesses C. M.. NEWMAN, .GRACE E. NOONAN.

GEORGE w. COLLIN. 

